1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus with an adhesive applying function, and more particularly, to a printing apparatus with an adhesive applying function which can designate without any restriction adhesive transferring areas (overall area, left extreme area, right extreme area, top area, and bottom area) on a label to be produced, where adhesive is to be transferred.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the past, printed matters such as print media with a front surface printed with data and a rear surface applied with adhesive were known. Usually, a rolled type of media are known as these print media. There are two types of rolled print media: one with a detaching paper attached on the adhesive applied surface; and the other with no such detaching paper. In either type of rolled print media, the adhesive is applied overall on the rear surface of the print medium.
Meanwhile, a printing apparatus has been proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-235595, which apparatus is provided with an external adhesive transferring device on the downstream side of its print-paper discharge opening. This adhesive transferring device allows the printing apparatus to use low-cost standard paper in place of expensive specialized paper. In the printing apparatus, printed recording paper is cut by a cutter and then applied with the adhesive. During the process of applying the adhesive onto the recording paper, an adhesive tape is pressed against or alternatively, released from the recording paper.
The printing apparatus allows the user to decide whether to transport the recording paper while the adhesive tape is pressed against the recording paper or to pull out the cut recording paper with his/her hand while the adhesive tape is released from the recording paper. When the user decides to pull out the recording paper with his/her hand, the adhesive transferring device transfers the adhesive onto a printed portion of the recording paper when said printer portion passes through the device.
But, the printing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-235595 simply proposes that the apparatus can use the low-cost standard paper in place of the expensive specialized paper, and is nothing different from conventional apparatuses in providing the recording paper with the overall rear-surface applied with the adhesive. Further, the printing apparatus is provided with the external adhesive transferring device, and therefore the apparatus cannot be made compact in size.
The users want various types of paper, paper with the adhesive applied or paper with no adhesive applied, depending on purpose of usage of the print paper. Even if the print paper with the adhesive applied is required, the users can want the print paper with the adhesive applied overall or partially thereon. To meet the users' requirement, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-25165 has proposed a tape printing apparatus which is provided with an auxiliary cassette for applying gum onto the tape. The auxiliary cassette is installed in the vicinity of its tape discharge opening to apply gum onto the user's desired position on the print tape.
The tape printing apparatus disclosed by Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-25165 performs the process of applying the adhesive onto the print tape, in the vicinity of its tape discharge opening in a similar manner to the printing apparatus proposed by Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-235595, in other words, the adhesive transferring mechanism is provided on the downstream side of the printing mechanism and/or the tape discharge opening. In these apparatuses, the adhesive transferring operation is performed independently of it printing operation, that is, the printing operation is not controlled in connection with the adhesive transferring operation.